I'm sure it is good that she died yesterday. Battling for her life, almost one whole week, she suddenly collapsed and now is no more. Meanwhile, she's now a martyr of sorts, what with her photos all over, her name glorified, her family somewhat compensated.
But after a few weeks it'd die. The adulation, the potentially violent, peaceful protests. Teargas shells no more hurled, politicians no more blamed. Had she lived, she'd still be dead. Emotionally and intellectually. That dreadful night would keep haunting her days, her nights. A total vegetable, she'd remain, all her life.
Exactly as nurse Aruna Shanbaug, who now lies in KEM hospital in Mumbai. Since 1973. A gritty girl from a poor background, she worked there some years, fell in love with a doctor. They decided to get married. Then she wished to study abroad.
Known as 'Chatak Chandni', she was quick to reprimand, when others were wrong. Her ward boy hated her, so the evening..her final evening... before she'd go on leave to get married to her sweetheart, he took revenge.
He grabbed her, raped her brutally, holding a heavy dog chain around her throat throughout. She's now left there since 1973, in the same hospital, totally paralyzed, blank, unconscious. She responds ever so slightly to sounds, once in a while. Which has given hope to anti euthanasia proponents to keep her alive all these years.
She has a room all to herself, her bed her only earthly possession. Her colleagues of old, have done this, they've kept her alive. They feed her, bathe her daily and still hope fervently that she'd make it one day.
Her sweetheart's left her, her family disowned her. Her rapist scot-free, his crime condoned. She imprisoned, in chains still. Punished for being ambitious, for being so upright. Tell me, what kind of life's this?
She... from so poor a family, she... who struggled to survive all odds, she... who ultimately rose to rise high on wings of sheer grit and ambition.
Now, she lies utterly defeated, completely helpless. A zombie, a so called society moron.
So, now tell me, please tell me, is it right for us to rue Damini's death, rather than celebrate?
She's so fortunate.
Unlike Aruna Shanbaug.
